New Netflix Movie Info Pop-up Feature

Aron and Jaarus tipped me off to an interesting new feature on the Netflix Web site. When you move your mouse over a movie box or the name of the movie in your queue, a pop-up window shows information about the movie. I think it's a great way to get a quick overview of a movie without having to open another Web page.

I didn't notice it because I use Safari on OS X, the only place it doesn't seem to work.

What do you think? Do you like it?

Comments

Love it! Very slick. Works great with Firefox. Its little things like this that make Netflix service such a pleasure to use.

[Joe]

I love it. Kewl feature indeed. And it seems to work without slowing down the page loading.

[CashForFlow]

Very nice, but the masses demand more!

[Manda]

It doesn't seem to work in Opera.

Opera doesn't fully support the W3C DOM. Losts of things don't work in Opera.

...And the number of improvements with Blockbusters site can be counted on no hands at all....Isn't that convenient!

works with firefix under OSX

that is, firefox....

[skebenin]

Nice use of AJAX. We all owe Google a debt of gratitude for popularizing a really cool use of technology.

[Ron]

I actually find it annoying. The popups block the information on pages I'm trying to use. I never minded clicking on a movie to bring up its full information page. If I'm viewing my Queue page I know what the movie is about or it wouldn't be in my queue. If I'm viewing the Friends page I'll click through to the full movie page to see their comments - the popup doesn't provide that. Etc.
This is a disturbing web trend that is forcing users to "mind their mouse pointer" to avoid blocking information they might be trying to view on the current page.

[Sonja]

I just discovered this feature this morning and I like it. I was trying to remember why I had a certain movie in my queue and when the pop up appeared I was reminded. I really like it.

[Neven]

Very nice. Too bad about Safari - I love Firefox, but the UI isn't too responsive on OS X, and it's just sluggish overall.

[alien_alan]

There have been several occasions that I've thought about switching to Blockbuster. If only because it is cheaper. Then Netflix goes and adds another cool feature. At this point Blockbuster could cut their price in half I still wouldn't switch. Netflix has made the art of finding movies so much easier. I remember going to the video rental store and roaming the aisles for nearly an hour. Then leaving with no movies. I dreaded this experience. I pay for a TIVO subscription and I don't really know why. Except for the guide there is no reason for the fee. If were only talking about the guide then I'm being ripped off. I digress only to point out that I pay for a subscription for Netflix and they actually upgrade the functionality of the experience in addition to the actual service of sending me movies. But I'm gushing. I say, keep it up Netflix.

[j]

Hastings is the fabulous software prince.

[Aron]

Joe, it doesn't affect the page loading because it doesn't load the info for the popup until after you hover over the link. It's a technique that's been around but only recently rediscovered and brought to mainstream hype via Google and their map and mail applications. It can really go along way to make web apps behave more like desktop apps (but more difficult to code generally).

I wish they'ld hold off on this "fluff" and inprove my shipping times. I still only get 2-3 day shipping coming to me and 3-4 days returning which limits me to 12 discs max per month.

This week alone they received a disc on Monday but did not ship another out until Wednesday. They received another on back today but its replacement is not shipping until tomorrow they say.

That means I won't get the one until tomorrow or maybe Saturday, the 2nd one won't come until next week now. I'm pretty tired of this when everyone else claims to get next day service.

Are you suggesting that their webmasters start processing shipments instead of doing what they are good at? Large companies often run multiple departments in parallel. Having the webmasters stop working to improve an area that is not their expertise will not solve anything.

[Chris Perry]

I love the new feature, it saves me many clicks. I think it's an example of useful "fluff," as opposed to other bells & whistles that don't appeal to me or have questionable value (e.g., seeing your friends' queues).

[Chris Perry]

While I just posted that I love it, I do want to concur with Ron about the annoying trend of having to "mind your mouse pointer" lest you set off unwanted pop-ups. Luckily, the titles of movies aren't too long, so it's easily avoidable in this instance. Also, though, I have to answer Ron and say that because my queue is so long (187 movies), I often forget exactly what a movie's about - I know I wanted it, but I forgot why! This feature saves me some clicks in those situations. I also sometimes like to quickly review the cast or see the director of a movie in my queue, even if I know full well what it's about.

[Greg]

Interesting addition, however once they pop up, half the time they tend to linger and obscure half the page for me. I'd much rather have them focus on decreasing shipping times...

[Nick Lazar]

Saying Netflix is better than Blockbuster? Blockbuster carries multiple versions of movies, while Netflix only has the most popular. Many times, Netflix only has the pan-and-scan version while Blockbuster has widescreen. Many times, Netflix only has an edited or rated version, while Blockbuster has uncut/unrated.

Stop moaning about how Blockbuster's site is slow and Netflix is better. Boo hoo. I don't give a damn about the site. I spend 10 minutes on the site. I'd prefer a full selection with multiple versions of movies, where the content or format is different. If you want that, Netflix is NOT the best choice.

I'd love it if Netflix and BBO started carrying foreign Region discs. Often you can't get a movie in Region 1, or the foreign Region is 16x9 while the Region 1 is 4x3 pan-and-scan. These foreign discs play fine on Daewoo players or PC. (Just use DVD43 3.5.2 and Region Killer 2.7.0.1, Slysoft AnyDVD, Elby's Region + CSS Free, DVD Decrypter, or DVD Shrink). Many import discs are region free or multi-region and will play in most machines. It would be nice if Netflix and BBO stocked these.

Try finding "The Sting" in 16x9 widescreen. Not sold in Region 1, only 4x3 pan/scan. Try finding "The Croupier" in 16x9 widescreen. The Region 1 is a crummy letterbox transfer. Try finding "Lost Highway" in 16x9 widescreen. The Region 1 is 4x3 pan-and-scan. I could go on.

Don't go patting Netflix or BB on the back until they start serving their customers with eclectic tastes and multi-region compatible players. They need to be making deals to provide these titles, preferably converted to Region 1 or Region-Free. Otherwise, the only choice is to order it from Amazon or somewhere...

[Dave]

I like the feature but would also like it to show the star rating given to the dvd if not on the pop up then on the queue list itself by the title.

[Eric B]

skebenin: Just to clear things up for history buffs, Netflix has been implementing "AJAX" and AJAX-like technology since about a year after Google was founded, and they're far from alone. Google certainly deserves recognition for their good work, but to think they're the only leaders in this regard is missing the mark ...

[Patricia Masters]

If yu do not give me a full refund and quit billing my credit card I am charging you with fraud.I want my full credit and off your list. Do not bill my card again and I want the full credit to my credit card immediately.....

[Patricia Masters]

I talked with your customer service and I was to receive the credit for all these months you have been charging my account. I have sent numerous e-mails. I want the credit to my card now. I will report you to the better business bureau..I should have already. I am going to sue you if you do not get this corrected and given the full credit on my card. I have not used your services and I do not want to. You just keep biling me after numerous e-mails and telephone calls. I want this corrected immediately......I agreed to pay for one month, I cancelled the nesxt month but you keep charging me.......I want this corrected immediately.

[laWilson]

Hey, Mike, stop billing this lady, ok? After all, you DO require a credit card to view your site. LOL!

[tainted]

Aye, Mike, it's time you stop fooling us with fraudulent credit card charges and focus on reducing your shipping times. If you don't start focusing on the issues that really matter, I may just switch to HackingBlockbuster.com for my DVD rentals in the future!

[AC]

I'm somewhat surprised her e-mail address isn't @aol.com...

[RedBeard]

Stupid People keep life interesting.

Well this site is called "Hacking Netflix" right?

So, his 70 or so IQ probably thinks that this site is "hacking" Netflix and stealing his credit card information. Maybe calling someone and talking to them would help

I say stop the "fluff" and use the money and resources to build a center closer to me! I only get 3-day delivery and have since I signed up in 2003! Sinc e they proclaim 1-day delivery, it would be nice to see them add a center in the South Alabama/Georgia, North Florida area se we can enjopy 1 day shipping as well.

Until then, it is all "fluff" as the value of my dollar is less than the people getting 1-day shipping compared to my 3-day. Since shipping dvd is the core of their business, providing 1-day delivery to ALL their customers should be the 1st concern, once met, the "fluff" can be added on.

FYI, It doesn't work on Safari on OS X, but it does work on Camino. That's probably not a surprise, given that Camino's rendering engine is Gecko, just like Mozilla/Firefox.

Oh my.........that made my day.

Patricia this isn't netflix, this is just a site where bored people come to chat about a company.

[Jg]

I noticed this feature recently myself. At first it was pretty helpful, but I have to agree with the person who talked about 'minding your mouse pointer'. The popup is a little bit of an obstacle to viewing content on occasion, and in Firefox/WinXP it occasionally displays irregularly, when a movie title hasn't been moused over. Also, has anybody noticed that it sometimes displays when you mouse over a star rating, and sometimes it doesn't? I'd welcome the ability to disable the feature, personally.

This is getting to be a "pain in the butt!!!" They are always popping up and sometimes I cannopt get them to go away. i have to refresh the page to get rid of them. If I pass over a link, but do not stop on it, they still come up.

I hope they fine tune it to work better or just get rid of it. I can see its advantage but right now, it has become a real pain!

[Manda]

Nick Lazar, meet Nicheflix; Nicheflix, meet Nick Lazar.

http://www.nicheflix.com

Personally, I'd be happy if Netflix would just stock Canadian region 1 DVDs that don't have US equivalents.

BTW, the region 1 DVD of "The Sting" is open matte, not pan & scan. The ratio is way off, of course, but I'd much rather see too much than not enough.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare6/sting.htm

[jessica]

works great with firefox! i love this feature.

I like this feature, but I think there should be a way to enable/disable. Maybe something under the "My Account" page which lets me enable and disable site features.

[Vicki27Gregory]

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